Denver Broncos: Projected Training Camp Battles, Part Three: Rushing Attack
Source: Bleacher Report
The Denver Broncos' running game will do a 180-degree turn from last season by taking a back seat in 2012 to a Peyton Manning pass-first offense.
However, although a pass-heavy attack will be the theme this season, make no mistake that the Bronco offensive game plan will be far more balanced than last season.
Play-action is a big part of Manning's arsenal in keeping a defense on its heels, and in order for it to be effective, the running game must be productive and earn respect.
The talent is in place for an effective and exciting running game to pound opponents into submission, complemented by an effective, efficient and what may be a lethal no-huddle passing game in the thin air of the Mile High City.
Eight in the box will be replaced by effective balance, resulting in defensive confusion, mismatches and the need for oxygen masks.
League-wide, the Broncos running game is both somewhat underrated and disrespected. This mentality will cost the naysayer opponents dearly.
Let's take a deeper look inside the pounders and slashers whom I project as the unit that will provide both the fiercest and most interesting training-camp battles.
Willis McGahee will be the go-to back once again this season with no true competition for his spot. His aging and talented body will relish the pass-first offensive scheme, as it will keep his body healthier, fresher and even more effective than he was last season.
McGahee's stat line should take a hit, but his productivity should rise as well.
The first battle as it applies to McGahee will be for his backup.
Lance Ball enters his third season with the Broncos in a reserve role. Ball is not flashy, but rather he's a steady and dependable back that works well between the tackles. He possesses good upfield vision that can create a hole when one does not exist for him. He has the ability to make defenders miss with his bull-rush style and he has good hands out of the backfield. His blocking remains a work in progress.
Ball's competition will come in the form of Mario Fannin, who might just be the wild card of the backfield in training camp. This second-year undrafted free agent out of Auburn was providing impact moments in camp last season before he injured his knee.
Fannin has that special gift of raw speed combined with power and special explosiveness. He is a tough, hard-nosed runner who can pound between the tackles, and his elusive lateral movements to the edge will be an asset. However, Ball security has been an issue throughout his career, which must improve or his attributes will be disregarded.
Fannin has a very similar style to that of McGahee in his younger days; he has great depth and is a very interesting change-of-pace back that is not in the scatback mold.
Make sure you add Jeremiah Johnson, another undrafted free agent, to the mix as he flies under the radar. Johnson has the tools to be an impact player that will make some noise.
Johnson has been relegated to the practice squad with four teams in three years and has only been able to display his abilities in the preseason, where he has done very well. Unfortunately, two serious injuries have helped derail his career thus far.
Johnson is more of a quick-cut back with deceptive speed and an explosive first step. He is a pure runner, but he must improve in the blocking and passing game.
This is the type of player that, given his talent level and reputation for just coming up short, must take hold of and seize the training camp opportunity and make a name for himself prior to the preseason.
The third down change-of-pace job will be interesting and heated as well, with a rookie upstart battling a fourth-year player who was taken in the first round and will be battling for his career.
Ronnie Hillman and Knowshon Moreno just might provide some fine entertainment in training camp as the storylines are chock-full.
Knowshon Moreno is a talented scatback that has underachieved and has proven to be fragile and unworthy of his 2009 lofty draft selection.
He is a quick and elusive east-west type of runner who possesses soft hands, but he has been unable to stay on the field and earn his pay thus far in his career. In three years, he has averaged 635 yards and four TDs per year, which does not even begin to cut it as the 12th player chosen in the 2009 draft.
Sure, he has the ability to bounce outside and wreak havoc as he eludes tackles on the edge, but fans have been reduced to flashes of his greatness, as three years later he still wears the dreaded potential tag.
Moreno has always struggled to stay on the field, and this year will be no different as he rehabs from a torn ACL. Meanwhile, his judgement has come into question off the field, as he was cited for a DUI while having no on-the-field impact.
If he can compete in July, one would expect the light bulb in his head to go on, allowing him to challenge Ronnie Hillman and prove that he is more than just a collegiate standout.
Third-round pick Ronnie Hillman is going to open a lot of eyes when training camp rolls around. He will cast aside the doubters who question his size and competitiveness in college.
This 5'9", 200-pound spark plug clearly has his sights set on being a third-down impact weapon for Peyton Manning.
Hillman has electric, eye-popping speed with tremendous acceleration coupled with the type of cutback elusiveness that will make linebackers cringe in the open field.
He is tough for a speedy scatback and he has a knack and the patience to find the holes inside as well.
Equally as important is his ability to catch a Manning pass and show what he can do in the open field.
Hillman has great football intelligence, full field vision, a nose for the goal and a great work ethic which will translate to a successful leap to the next level.
This is a deep, hungry unit that will push each other competitively throughout camp.
When the dust settles, I project that Mario Fannin will have wrestled away the Willis McGahee backup role from Lance Ball and will offer a third-down complementary look to Ronnie Hillman, who will turn out the lights on Knowshon Moreno's Bronco career.
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